The World of Franyo
I grew up knowing nothing of the stress my relatives experienced, but I feel it in my blood - an ancient fear, handed down, of pogroms and persecution.
My parents both grew up in Hamburg, Germany, but didn’t meet till they were living in New York. My parents had a backyard wedding in Long Island.
Franyo was twenty-nine years old when she fled Europe in 1938. She was so relieved and happy to have gotten out of Germany that she danced every evening of the voyage to New York. My ...
My mother never ever spoke to me about her life in Germany as Hitler rose to power. From the way she talked, she hardly noticed the political changes. Perhaps this was due to her involvement ...
My mother had a fervent dislike of organized religion. She only ever said one thing about growing up Jewish in Germany. She spoke of her half sister who married a very religious Jew. She was ...
The Franyo I knew was formidable, with her judgmental remarks and total lack of tact. I cannot tell you how many times I cringed from her harsh commentary. If I dared bring school friends home, ...
I know only a few facts about my mother’s childhood: she was born in Hamburg, Germany, shortly before WWI, and she was a Jewish girl. There was no way to escape that fact, and dark ...